SONOMA — Former top executives of the failed Sonoma Valley Bank and North Bay real estate developer Bijan Madjlessi were arrested Wednesday on multiple federal charges stemming from activities prior to the bank’s collapse, according to the office of Melinda Haag, U.S. attorney in Northern California.

SANTA ROSA — After a national search, St. Joseph Health appointed David Ziolkowski as its new chief operating officer in Sonoma County, overseeing Santa Rosa Memorial and Petaluma Valley hospitals, along with a number of other outpatient and community health services.

Sonoma-based staffing company Nelson recently opened of a new office in Southern California, the second location to open in that region within the past year. …

The 28 small- and mid-sized business for sale offerings that were sold in Sonoma County last month was a nearly three-fold increase over the same period last year, which saw 10 such transactions, according to BizBen Index. …

PETALUMA — Calix, Inc. (NYSE: CALX) today announced revenue for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2012 was $91.4 million, up 12.5 percent compared to $81.3 million for the third quarter of 2012, and flat compared to $91.6 million for the fourth quarter of 2011.

In its first month since getting state approval for expansion last fall, Sacramento-based HMO Western Health Advantage said it has enrolled some 750 persons into new employer health plans across Sonoma, Marin and Napa counties.

With full implementation of the health care law on everyone’s mind, from providers to insurers to employers, federally qualified health centers have long been viewed as a critical piece of expanding access, many of them anticipating an influx of new patients and thus an increase in services.

But while the Affordable Care Act will add significant funding for the nonprofit health sector, such health centers are rapidly evolving on their own, in part to address changes in health care but also in response to increasing demand, according to North Bay health center executives.

Three North Bay hospitals received “A” grades for patient safety from the Leapfrog Group, considered the industry standard for hospital surveys. Kaiser Permanente hospitals in San Rafael and Santa Rosa and St. Joseph Health-operated Petaluma Valley Hospital each received the ranking from the Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit run by employers and other large purchasers of health benefits. …

Operation Access, a nonprofit whose mission is to mobilize a network of medical volunteers, hospitals and community health centers to provide access to surgeons for low-income and uninsured people, recently held its celebration of volunteers at Lagunitas Brewery in Petaluma. …

Sutter Health announced the appointment of Stephen Nolte as chief executive officer of Sutter’s recently announced health plan, which is currently in development in Sacramento. …

St. Helena Hospital recently raised $1.5 million at its annual foundation gala held at Silver Oak Cellars in Oakville. …

State Sen. Ed Hernandez, D-West Covina, plans to introduce legislation that would expand the powers of nurse practitioners, pharmacists and other health care workers as a means to address a shortage of primary care physicians, a problem that experts have long warned will be exacerbated by health care reform. …

PETALUMA — Redwood Community Health Coalition recently took part in a pilot project testing a mobile health application that enrolls patients in public assistance programs, a potentially pivotal development for the public health sector. The accelerating convergence of mobile technology and health care will likely open new avenues of access to underserved populations, which could in turn help states with implementing key pieces of health care reform, officials said.

Most of us have already begun making our shopping lists and travel plans for the upcoming holiday season, as we look forward to celebrations with friends and family and to the traditions that bring warmth and meaning to this time of year.

This year, I’d like to encourage you to add another tradition to your family’s list: giving to the holiday food and toy drives Redwood Credit Union has hosted at our branches in the North Bay and San Francisco for over 20 years.

Firma Design Group announced Jerry Novak, P.E., has joined its team in Novato. …

Enphase Energy, Inc. hired several new executives: Ciaran Fox, vice president of quality and reliability; Martin Rogers, vice president of customer service and support; and Steve Lapointe; vice president of human resources. Vice President of Engineering Dennis Hollenbeck retired. …

Tony Bartenetti has been named executive vice president at Sonoma-based Nelson, a move driven by the company’s geographic expansion. …

Mavrik North America of Santa Rosa appointed Kevin Wilkinson to oversee engineering and fabrication operations for its wine making technologies and equipment. …

DH Wine Compliance in Santa Rosa announced the addition of Milli Conover, who will lead the operational reporting department as a reporting specialist, and Alissa De La Riva as a senior compliance specialist. …

Western Health Advantage formally filed plans with the state to be a part of Covered California, the state’s online health exchange that will go live in 2014 as part of the federal health care reform bill, the Affordable Care Act. …

On the federal level, the Obama Administration last week issued a host of new rules and details on how insurers can structure benefits and premiums beginning in 2014. …

Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company announced the appointment of Travis Bethune to the position of vice president, distribution management and services leader. …

Unemployment rates for North Bay counties were largely unchanged in October from the month before, but Sonoma County continued to lead all of California in job growth, helping the entire North Bay grow by 2.5 percent from the previous October, according to state figures released this morning.